News for Friday, 20 October 2006

More than 4 months ago, we have started collecting references of dead
Airport Express (APX) via our dedicated webpage.
So far, over 700 reports have been recorded from users. In most cases, the APX dies suddenly, with a small noise ("pop"), and then usually a smoked/burning smell can be identified.
While so many reports from users have already been published worldwide, Apple keeps ignoring the issue, and even worth, lock almost systematically all topic related to the short lifespan issue of APX in Apple's Discussion Forum (see our previous news about it). While USA-based Mac-dedicated websites are not really relaying the problem, a newspaper from Sydney has published an article about this issue, without generating much reaction from Cupertino, and hardly any serious answer from the Local Apple Representatives.
Today, based on over 700 reports, the average lifespan of the dead APX manufactured in 2004 and 2005 are illustrated hereafter:



Based on our information, the average lifespan of an APX manufactured in 2004 is 16.32 months (mean, and 17.28 months when using Geometrical mean stats). As shown by the schema, the APX manufactured in 2005 (by Foxconn) keeps dying according to the time frame and rate we could expect based on the calculated lifespan of 16 months. . We think Apple has used/is using another company to manufacture the APX (serial number format: 6Fxxxxxxxxx), we have only few reports concerning dead APX with such numbering (even though it corresponds to production lot made in 2005 and 2006).
The web is filled up with reports concerning dead APX, one can easily test it by performing a search in Google with "airport express dead" as keywords (such as Harald's or The Sydney Morning Herald websites). Many users have also decided to crack opened up their defective APX in order to confirm the Jen's report that was published couple of weeks ago. If the Fairchild component DM0165 is almost always identified as defect, it must not be the only one. Many users have tried to revive their dead APX by replacing the defective DM0265 by a new one. In most cases, the new DM0265 burns within a couple of seconds, or the heat generated is so high than the modified APX can not work more than a couple of minutes.
Following our request, Fairchild has been investigating to identify reports of bad production lot for the DM0265, but none were identified (or reported as such to us). Concerning the Samsung, the manufacturer of the powerboard, on which is sitting the Fairchild DM0265, we could not get any comments or answers to our questions.
However, many users have tried to power their dead APX via an external or alternative powerboard or source, and it might be the solution while waiting for the hypothetical recognition of the issue by Apple. We ask all users to share and provide comments, idea or reports about it to the dedicated topic in our forum: here.

If the availability of its brother Core 2 Duo Merom has pushed the Core Duo Yonah away from the front stage, this CPU will still be product but Intel till November 2008. However, the previous mobile CPU, Pentium-m "Dothan" will be EOL and will stop to be produced in February 2008.
We can expect the price of Core Duo Yonah to decrease in the coming month, it could allow Apple to sell the Mac mini below the 500 Euro price barrier.

Sony has officially commented the massive notebook battery recall already started couple of weeks ago, 8 millions units have already been recalled, and the final number could reach 9.6 millions.
This problem might cost Sony around US$429 millions. Such a financial drawback will have a significant impact on Sony’s year financial figures. And this is without considering the compensation that Sony might have to pay to its customers, as reported previously Toshiba might sue Sony about this issue.